Deepfake videos of Argentine politicians spread on X before elections
Deepfake videos purporting to show President Javier Milei and Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof saying things contrary to their own policies circulated on X ahead of provincial elections on September 7, 2025. Fact-checkers confirmed the videos were AI-generated and the statements were not authentic.
What happened
On September 7, 2025, days before provincial elections in Buenos Aires, two deepfake videos circulated on X showing President Javier Milei and Governor Axel Kicillof making statements contrary to their political positions and policies.
The video attributed to Milei reportedly showed him calling for voting for La Libertad Avanza while requesting that elderly people choose between eating and taking medicine, that wheelchairs be removed from disabled people, and that children at Garrahan hospital stop stealing resources from Argentines. The video attributed to Kicillof showed him calling for voting for Fuerza Patria while requesting inflation return, taxes increase, the fiscal surplus be destroyed, and continued violence in the province.
Fact-checkers from Chequeado and AFP used tools including Hive Moderation and analysis techniques from MIT Media Lab to confirm both videos were generated with artificial intelligence. The analysis found mismatches between voice and lip movement, unnatural skin texture, and dental features that did not match the actual individuals.
Reported impact
The Milei deepfake video received over 500,000 views on X, while the Kicillof video received approximately 400,000 views, spreading as election-related content during a critical moment in the electoral cycle.
The false content circulated on social media as authentic campaign material ahead of the provincial elections.
Index analysis
Hive Moderation identified both videos as probably generated with artificial intelligence. Technical analysis noted mismatched voice and lip movement in both videos, overly homogeneous skin in the Milei video, and mismatched dental features in the Kicillof video.
Governance controls
Chequeado, a fact-checking organization coordinating with AFP as part of the Reverso alliance, performed verification and analysis of the content. The organization searched for the purported statements and found no written or audiovisual records of the actual individuals making such statements.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.